Do you think listening to music in a foreign language helps you learn it faster?

[Jaxter]

A lot of my friends pick up new languages by listening to their favourite foreign artists and it seems to work because I see first hand at how much they are picking up (verbally). It seems also like a fun way to learn a new language. Have you had any success on picking up a new language through music?

[GetFresh]

I guess it varies on the person since all people learn differently. For me, I can't learn this way. Most of the foreign music I listen to I can't comprehend the lyrics fast enough, I have to think for a bit until I figure it out. I usually just listen to foreign music for the rhythms and beats. Hopefully once I truly master the language I will finally understand.

[sayitwell]

sometimes but it really depends on if the lyrics are intelligible.  if someone from another country listened to american hip hop, chances are that they would not learn much actual language because hip hop lyrics are full of slang words that are not used in normal conversations.  i've learned a few foreign words through foreign music but not many.

[Elizabethr6144]

I have definitely grasped a language through music. Last summer I planned a trip to France even though I had no idea how to speak it. I decided to YouTube French artists and found some I really liked. I would listen to the music several times a day and google the lyrics. After doing this on a regular basis I would actually pick up words and phrases that I ended up using on my trip. I think this is a very effective way I help someone learn a language.

[Red151]

I think it helps in a bunch of ways. First off, and the obvious, you are being exposed to the language, language patterns, and the rhythm paired with the words is allowing you to learn through association. The second way is you're picking up on the culture and specific vernacular of the language which is always very helpful as well.

[resilientsage29]

Yes, you would learn faster this way. Personally, I love to sing along foreign songs and to be able to do that you have to know the lyrics and memorize them. I'm usually listening to the song and learn how this word is pronounced to make my singing perfect then I'll find the translation to know what the song's all about.

[Trellum]

Listening music in a different language never helped me to learn said language, actually a lot people in my country like to listen to music in enlgish, but that doesn't seem to help them at all    I guess this isn't for everyone, each person is different and can learn a new language using certain methods.  For example, there are people who can learn a new language by taking a course, but there are people out there that can learn a new language on their own. So it really depends on the person, but if you ask me... no, not even a bit!

[viciosomundial]

I've learned a lot of Portuguese by listening to Bossa Nova songs. The style is just amazing, and I would totally recommend it if you have no idea of what I'm talking about.

These make awesome "chill" songs that help you relax if you learn to play them on the guitar...also, might be just me but I don't know, they are awesome pick-up songs. Any one who played Bossa Nova and started singing in Portuguese would get me...

But yeah, I understand a LOT of Portuguese just by listening to songs. :grin:

[DiesIrae]

In a way, it makes me remember some words more. Even if the foreign music I'm listening to sounds like garbled words to me, I just Google the lyrics and then also read the translation. It's also a good way to learn pronunciation, especially if the words are clear.

[justusforus]

I think absolutely it helps.  I am thinking it stimulates another learning level of the brain as well as it is entertaining.  When you were young, did you ever remember a rule by a "sing song" or rhyming song?  I think it is on that same train of thought.

If you have trouble discerning the words, I search for videos with lyrics (you would be surprised how many are uploaded).  So you can watch and study and listen and rock out.  In any event, it couldn't hurt!

[LauraM]

Yes, I think it is quite helpful.  I listened to a lot of Spanish language music when I was learning the language and it did help.  I would become curious about lyrics and look them up. 

I never formally studied Italian but over the years I've learned a fair amount of Italian from listening to opera.  Having learned Spanish formally was helpful, as it gave me familiarity with romance languages. 

So yes, as I see it, listening to music is part of the immersion process.  It's also enjoyable and can help if you're feeling entrenched in learning vocabulary and grammar.

[Guest isabbbela]

I do! When I was around 12 or 13, when I still didn't have that good English, I used to listen to music from Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Red Hot and other pop/rock stuff, and I would get the lyrics and try translating all of it. I think it helps a lot, both to improve your English, learn new words and understand what the song is talking about.

[Beverly]

Yes because even certain kindergarten schools I used to work for, teach English through games and songs. We learned Mandarin solely from listening to music. That's why we could say the word and understood the word ,even sang the entire song when we karaoke with friends but couldn't really write the language. Song sometime has a story, so you don't even need to understand all of the words to grasp the meaning that its trying to sell you. By listening to music, you learn to pick up the message of one sentence without freaking out that you might not understand some words in there.

Another thing to why listening to music comes in handy when it pairs with learning language is because if you like the songs,you most likely going to remember some of the words here and there. Just like the song 'GANGNAM STYLE'. The very least people will remember is the korean word 'Oppa'. You picked up something here and there because the music will stuck in your head.

I even made up music for students who had a trouble memorizing some words. I told them to turn the vocabularies into a song. Sing it over and over and when you memorize the melody,you'd remember the words.

[sembaa]

Yes it does help for some to learn a new Language using music. If you listen to the language with a catchy beat chances are you will play it on a more frequent basis. The key to learning anything is repetition.

[Dame6089]

It has really never helped me because I find that the pronunciation and annunciation can differ in music. If anything, it confuses me more.

I think it could be useful though if you translated the lyrics and listened to the song over and over.

[whatupswags]

Any time spent with more of whatever language you are trying to learn can only help you! I have found that listening to foreign music has been more of a progressive puzzle for me. At the beginning, I understood nothing, but I started absorbing some of the regular French sounds. In the middle, I was able to recognize some phrases, instead of just words. And now, when I listed to the same songs, more and more recognizable lyrics surface. It really is about exposure, and the more exposure we can give ourselves, the farther along we can get!

[Baburra]

I wouldn't say it helps with faster learning, but it does alleviate some of the seriousness of having to learn an entire language and at least makes it fun. I think conversational language and musical language is somewhat different, so I only ever hope to learn certain words in a foreign song and I don't really focus too much on precise translations.